Putting their “hands to the plow,” members of the Fayetteville First Baptist Church joined together to break ground on the church's new Ministry Center in a celebration service held April 30.

Holding long ropes attached to a golden plow, members pulled in unison, to draw a furrow in the ground. At the head of the plow was the church's, oldest active member, 93-year-old Mrs. Beryl Crowe; its newest member, eight-year-old Zachary Randolph of Peachtree City; and Pastor Emeritus Jack Overton, who led First Baptist for 24 years until his retirement in 1985.

Representatives from Fayetteville, Fayette County, the Georgia Baptist Convention and the South Metro Baptist Association were on hand to participate.

The 60,000 sq. ft., $6 million facility has been in the planning and fund raising stages for three years. When finished, it will nearly double the total square footage of First Baptist's current facilities and greatly expand the church's ability to minister to the community.

“Our meeting place is downtown Fayetteville, “explained Pastor Frank Ellis. “That means land will always be limited. This building maximizes what we can do.”

The three-story multipurpose building—which will be called the Ministry Center due to the vast array of opportunities it will provide—will include an auditorium with a seating capacity of more than 1,000, a dining hall and kitchen facilities which can handle 400 people at a regular meal, 24 new classrooms, three midsize meeting rooms large enough to accommodate seminars and receptions, and recreational facilities, including a full-size gymnasium which will be able to accommodate conventions, health and fitness classes, large-scale fellowships, area-wide crusades and more.

“Most simply put, this building will provide a lot of places where the Holy spirit will guide our congregation as we join Him in helping hurting people, growing up the next generation of Christian leaders, equipping families to succeed, teaching the Word of God and inviting the lost and dying to wholesomeness and eternal life,” said Pastor Ellis. “It will be a great place to Worship, Care, Reach and Disciple,” he added, citing the church's mission.

Members were given commemorative vials which they filled with the broken dirt to keep as prayer reminders of the building's purpose. Pastor Ellis said the plow used in the groundbreaking was the same one used to break ground on First Baptist's current sanctuary, built in 1965. It was used again in the early 1980s to break ground on Harp's Crossing Baptist Church, which was a mission of Fayetteville First Baptist.

Swofford Construction Co. of Austell is the general contractor for the facility. Construction will begin immediately and is expected to be completed in about one year.

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